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A review by aklandis42
The Circus Train by Amita Parikh
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I cannot say enough good things about this book. I was blown away at how engrossed in this book I was. I may have finished the last 20% today while I was at work and supposed to be working but secretly had my phone with the kindle app up propped on my computer because I needed to finish.
The main character Lena is someone you root for from the very beginning. She is so lovable that you do not want anything but good things to happen to her. And she is a strong woman who knows what she wants and will work harder than anyone else to get it. She has both a blood and a found family to support her through different times, and most characters were lovable. Even the ones who did less-than-ideal things, you could always see their perspective and how they felt they were doing right, which made it feel super realistic.
One thing I loved about this book is that most books seem to put “strong woman with goals and objectives” in a box that means they won’t also be able to have an epic love story, and this book lets you know that you can have both. Lena can compromise but not sacrifice her goals for love, and I think thats an incredibly important distinction and one illustrated beautifully in this novel.
There are twists I didn’t see coming, incredible world building both in the circus and in the cities in general while taking place in Europe during the start of WWII, and the story of a fiery girl who defies all odds. Cannot recommend enough.
The main character Lena is someone you root for from the very beginning. She is so lovable that you do not want anything but good things to happen to her. And she is a strong woman who knows what she wants and will work harder than anyone else to get it. She has both a blood and a found family to support her through different times, and most characters were lovable. Even the ones who did less-than-ideal things, you could always see their perspective and how they felt they were doing right, which made it feel super realistic.
One thing I loved about this book is that most books seem to put “strong woman with goals and objectives” in a box that means they won’t also be able to have an epic love story, and this book lets you know that you can have both. Lena can compromise but not sacrifice her goals for love, and I think thats an incredibly important distinction and one illustrated beautifully in this novel.
There are twists I didn’t see coming, incredible world building both in the circus and in the cities in general while taking place in Europe during the start of WWII, and the story of a fiery girl who defies all odds. Cannot recommend enough.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Death of parent, and War